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Vaping under threat in tobacco-loving Indonesia

Chain-smoking Indonesia is moving to stub out its booming e-cigarette sector, sparking criticism that the government is siding with giant tobacco firms at the expense of public health.

PHOTO: AFP

[JAKARTA] Chain-smoking Indonesia is moving to stub out its booming e-cigarette sector, sparking criticism that the government is siding with giant tobacco firms at the expense of public health.

The Southeast Asian nation has one of the world's highest smoking rates - some 65 per cent of adult men smoke - with a pack costing just US$2.

Cigarette advertising is everywhere across the vast archipelago which once had the dubious distinction of being home to one of the world's youngest nicotine addicts - a chain-smoking toddler who made global headlines in 2010.

Smoking cessation products are tough to find and Indonesia stands out as a key growth market for global tobacco firms increasingly shut out of countries with tough anti-smoking legislation.

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In response, Jakarta said it will impose a whopping 57 per cent tax on non-tobacco alternatives starting this summer.

Hasbullah Thabrany, health expert and advisor for the National Commission on Tobacco Control, warned that while customs and excise law required the government to set taxes for such products, it was possible that authorities were using the levy to take sides.

He added: "I do believe that the policy sides with the (tobacco) industry."

Rhomedal Aquino, spokesman for the Association of Indonesian Personal Vaporizers, told AFP: "We agree with a tax plan to control consumption, but a 57 per cent duty is too high - it will kill a growing industry." "It will make us look like a killing machine when we're not," he added.

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E-cigarettes, which have gained popularity in the last decade, are handheld devices that heat up a nicotine-containing liquid so users can inhale the vapors.

The early scientific consensus is that they are likely safer than conventional cigarettes for adults.

Indonesia's trade minister Enggartiasto Lukita set off a backlash from anti-smoking groups in November when he suggested tobacco farmers would be hurt by the fledgling industry, and that those turning to e-cigarettes - also known as vaping - should smoke regular cigarettes instead.

"We should turn vapers into conventional cigarette smokers," he said at the time.

The government's plans are not welcome news for IT worker Roy Iskandar, a heavy smoker-turned-vaper who is worried about looming price hikes.